Tritiated digoxin. XX. Tissue distribution in experimental myocardial infarction

The role and potential hazards of digitalis glycoside administration in acute myocardial infarction remain controversial. We investigated the concentration of tritiated digoxin in normal, ischemic, and infarcted left ventricular myocardium of the dog after ligation of the anterior interventricular coronary artery. The normal homogeneous distribution of tritiated digoxin in the normal canine left ventricle was altered following acute myocardial infarction. The ischemic and infarcted zones exhibited a marked diminution in digoxin concentration. Oxidative phosphorylation determinations confirmed tissue hypoxia in the infarcted zone. The gradient of digoxin concentration between normal, ischemic, and infarcted zones of myocardium may potentiate the development of an arrhythmia in the electrically unstable infarcted myocardium.